Valve.



P. D. JOHNSON. VALVE.

- APPLICATION "LED OCT. 21. 1915. I 1,245,352. 4 Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

UNITED STAMTE ()FFIQ PHILIP D. JOHNSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES A. BROWN, OF HINSDALE, ILLINOIS.

VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 6, 191 7.

Application filed October 21, 1915 Serial No. 57,103. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP D. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago,'in the county of Cook and State of I ticularly concerned with a check valve construction, such as may be employed to control what is known as the by-pass em-- ployed in connection withpower plants for steam automobiles. 7 v 7 Although it will appear clearly to those 1 skilled in the art that the structure of my invention may be variously employed, I shall describe my improvement particularly in connection with the use above referred to. In steam automobiles, as is well known, a water tank supplies the boiler and pumping means, operated by the engine, is disposed in the connection between the tank and the boiler in order that a forced feed may be secured. There is, however, a three-way check;-

valve employed, which valve is fed from the tank and has two branches, one leading to the boiler directly and the other leading back to the water tank. The branch leading back to the water tank is termed the bypass and in this by-pass a check valve, with which my invention is concerned, is employed. The resistance of this last-named check valve is such that when it is free to operate the path of least resistance for the water is in the branch back to the water tank, or by-pass, and therefore under these conditions the pump operates merely to draw the water from the tank and pump it back to the tank. However, when by the application of external means this by-pass check valve is held closed, that is, held against operation, the first-named valvepermits the flow to the boiler.

Since my invention is concerned entire1y with the structure of the by-pass check valve, I have illustrated only that structure in the drawings and have not illustrated the general arrangement in which it may be employed.

Heretofore ordinary tapered valve members have been employed in structures of this kind. Due to the fact that such valve members always engage with the valve seat at the same points or on the same line, such valve members have been inefficient and are quickly worn to such an extent as to be useless. Inorder to overcome this, ball valves have been employed, but the, diiiiculty there has been that of securing proper seating of the ball. In order to secure a proper seating of the ball, it has been attempted to 7 guide the ball on a pin and,while that guid mg overcame the difliculty last mentioned, it resumed the objection noted in connection with the ordinary tapered valves.

It is the obj ect of my invention to provide a structure in which a ball valve is employed, which ball valve may rotate in all directions to secure the advantage of the infinite seating capacity, and which, at the same time, is properly guided to its seat in order that efiicient check valve action may be secured. To this end I provide a cage in which the ball is confined for reciprocation and in whlch suitable passagewaysare provided for the by-passing of the water.

In the accompanying drawings-- Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the valve of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view thereof; Fig. 3 is an axial vertical sectional view taken on the plane of the line 3, 3, of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the cage referred to; and 1 Flg. 5 s an end elevational view of the rounded by a valve seat 11 which faces the valve chamber which is in the form of a bore 12 on the horizontal axis referred to.

A cage 13 fits snugly into the bore 12 and rests against a shoulder 14 adjacent the valve seat 11. This cage is illustrated in detail in Figs. 4 and 5 and it will be seen that it comprises the complete ring portion 14 and a plurality of prongs 15,.15, circularly arranged in the nature of extensions from the complete ring portion 14. The ball valve 16 fits snugly Within the cage 13 and is adapted for reciprocation between the valve seat 11 and the shoulder 17 within the cage, as illustrated in Fig. 3. The spaces 18, 18 between the prongs 15, 15 communicate with each other and with the outlet 8 either directly or by Way of an annu-' lar groove 19 on the outer periphery of the cage, the arrangement of the parts being such that this groove is exposed to the outlet 8, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

A push rod 20 extends axially into the horizontal portion of the casing 6 and into the reduced portion 21 on the cage 13, a stuiiing box 22 being formed by the insertion of a gland 23, in which the push rod 20 bears and which is clamped down to compress the packing by means of the clamping nut 24 which is provided with an axial opening for the passage therethrougli of the push rod 20. The inner end of the push rod 20 is provided with a pocket 25 and a spring 26 is disposed in this pocket, extending between the base of the pocket and the ball valve 16, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

l/Vith the push rod in the position shown in Fig. 3, it will be clear that the ball valve 16 is free to respond to over-balancing pressure in the inlet 7- and moves to the right against the tension of the spring 26, with the ordinary check-valve action. This permits the Water or other fluids to pass through the openings or spaces 18 directly into the outlet 8 or by way of the groove 19. Since the cage is seated axially relative to the seat 11, and since the ball is guided snugly by the interior of the cage, it is clear that at all times the ball will be guided into proper seating relation with the seat 11. At the same time the ball is free to revolve so that seating may be had upon any part of the surface of the ball. At such times when it is desired to prevent the usual check valve tion, and obviously this will prevent any passage of fluid through the valve casing. It is impossible for the ball to be caught off of the seat as it is guided externally so closely that it cannot catch between the side of the casing and the end of the pushrod.

It is to be noted that the pushrod 20 is not rotated but is moved in and out axially. As a consequence, there is no tendency to rotate the ball either with respect to the seat or with respect to the rod. As a consequence the ball does not become scored or cut as it would if the rod were screwed down upon the ball.

I claim:

1. In combination, a valve casing having a valve passage and a counter-bore about said passage, said passage and counter-bore forming a shoulder providing a valve seat, a ball cooperating with said seat, a cylindrical cage fitting into said counter-bore and closely guiding said ball, a rod having a short central bore in the end thereof, the end of said rod fitting into said cage, packing means surrounding said rod, said packing means holding said cage firmly into said counter-bore, and a spring lying in the central bore of said rod, said spring projecting into contact with said ball to hold the same yieldingly upon said seat, said rod being movable to engage said ball independently of said spring to hold the ball firmly upon its seat.

2. In combination, a valve casing provided with a valve passage and an annular seat about said passage, a ballcoiiperating with said seat, guiding means disconnected from said ball for guiding said-ball upon said seat, a slidable rod fitting in said guide and having a spring pocket in line with said valve passage, and a spring fitting in and' guided by said pocket, said spring projecting out of said pocket into engagement with said ball to hold the same upon its seat.

3. In combination a valve casing having a valve passage and a valve seat about said passage, a ball coperating with said seat to form a valve, a cylindrical cage fitting into said valve casing, and guiding said ball upon said seat, a. spring normally hold: ing said ball upon its seat, a rod fitting into said cage and packing means surrounding said rod, said packing means holding said cage firmly in said casing, said rod being movable to engage said ball to hold the same upon said seat.

' 4. In combination, a valve casing provided with an annular seat, a ball valve cooperating with said seat, a cylindrical cage arrange concentrically with said seat and surrounding said ball valve said cage being the sole guiding means for said ball, a spring normally forcing said ball against said seat, and a push rod for holding said valve on its seat, said spring being disposed in a pocket in said push rod and engaging said ball.

5. In combination, a valve casing provided with a bore having a shoulder acting as a valveseat, a cylindrical cage fitting into said bore, a ball valve mounted snugly for reciprocat1on'in said cage and cooperating with said valve seat, a push rod extending into said cage, packing surrounding said push rod, and means for compressing said packing against said cage and rod.

6. In combination, a valve casing having a valve passage and a counter-bore about said passage, said passage and counter-bore forming a valve seat, a ball cooperating with said seat to form a valve, a cylindrical cage fitting into said counter-bore and closely guiding'said ball upon said seat, said cage being slotted adjacent the valve seat to prov1de passages for fluid, a rod closely fitting the interior bore of said valve cage, packing means for holding said cage against movement in said counter-bore and for packing 'said rod, said rod being movable axlally in said cage to engage said ball and hold the same firmly upon the valve seat.

7. In combination, a casing having a bore and a shoulder therein formed with a valve seat, a ball valve, a cageto guide the ball, a push rod having a socket in one end and axially movable in the casing through said cage, a spring in the socket to engage the ball and tend to maintain the same on its seat, said rod being movable to engage the ball and maintain the same entirely against leaving its seat.

8. In a valve, a valve casing having a valve passage in the same, said casing having an annular shoulder about said passage to form a seat, a ball forming a valve, said ball being adapted to cooperate with said seat, said casing having a passage axially in line with said valve passage, said second passage being larger than said ball throughout its whole length, a bushing in said second passage, a pushrod su orted at its inner end-by said bushing, sa'g pushrod being adapted to engage said ball and hold it upon its seat, said ushrod being moved axially to force said valve upon its seat, said pushrod and the portion of the bushing forming a bearing for the same being of less diameter than said ball to prevent escapement of said ball, a gland at the outer end of said second passage, packing mathe larger bore, a bushing in said larger bore having an opening of less diameter than the ball, a push rod ax'iallyin alinement with the ball and a bearing in said opening, said push rod being engageable with the ball, and a packing gland about said rod.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 19th day of October A. D. 1915.

PHILIP D. JOHNSON. 

